Explore the Family Name Arden
The meaning of Arden
English: habitational name, either from the district of Arden in Warwickshire or from Arden in Bredbury (Cheshire). The first placename is thought to be derived from a Celtic word meaning ‘high place’, cognate with Ardennes, the name of a forested region on the borders between northeastern France and eastern Belgium. The second derives from Old English hēah ‘high’ + worthign ‘enclosed settlement’.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Arden in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname Arden saw a slight drop between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it ranked as the 13,434th most popular surname, but by 2010, it had fallen to 13,933, marking a decrease of 3.71 percent. Despite this fall in rank, the overall count of people with the Arden surname actually rose from 2,078 in 2000 to 2,167 in 2010, an increase of 4.28 percent. However, when parsed per 100,000 people, the proportion of those bearing the Arden name dipped by 5.19 percent.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #13,434 | #13,933 | -3.71% |
| Count | 2,078 | 2,167 | 4.28% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.77 | 0.73 | -5.19% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Arden
Turning to the ethnic identity associated with the Arden surname, the Decennial U.S. Census data reveals noticeable changes over the same decade. The percentage of Ardens identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander more than doubled, rising from 0.38 percent in 2000 to 0.92 percent in 2010. Similarly, those identifying as Hispanic saw a significant jump of 54.30 percent, while there was a modest increase among those identifying as Black or of two or more races. Conversely, the percentage of Ardens who identified as White fell slightly from 93.41 percent in 2000 to 90.96 percent in 2010. The number of American Indian and Alaskan Native Ardens also rose, albeit from a small base, increasing by 54.17 percent over the decade.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 93.41% | 90.96% | -2.62% |
| Hispanic | 2.21% | 3.41% | 54.3% |
| Black | 2.41% | 2.45% | 1.66% |
| Two or More Races | 1.11% | 1.52% | 36.94% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.38% | 0.92% | 142.11% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.48% | 0.74% | 54.17% |